Leeds United meet Chelsea at Wembley on Sunday in the FA Cup final and YEP chief football writer Graham Smyth says two words should be ringing in their ears.

Leeds United travel to Wembley in vast numbers for Sunday's game with two words in mind - why not?

On a very basic level, the opposition for the club's first FA Cup semi-final since the 1980s is a team that has failed to beat Leeds in two attempts so far this season.

Chelsea were humbled at Elland Road and then threw away a two-goal lead to draw 2-2 at Stamford Bridge. Daniel Farke will insist that Leeds respect the heavy favourites but anyone you have already faced twice without defeat is not to be feared.

Chelsea's form, fragility, defensive issues, injury problems and managerial upheaval could all be explored as cause for optimism but any hopes Leeds have of making their first FA Cup final since 1973 should be pinned chiefly to their own ability.

Of all the Premier League sides faced by the Whites this season only Arsenal can say that they did not face a difficult or at least competitive game. Leeds might not have been at their best in each and every outing - Brighton away was poor and a few other performances fell short - but they have been in the games.

They have had a chance. There is no reason to believe that Farke's men, in the midst of such a good moment, so soon after making history at Old Trafford, so soon after showing all their character and belief at Bournemouth, will suddenly lose their competitiveness.

There are Leeds players who have decided that the business end of the campaign is the perfect time to produce their best stuff. Noah Okafor, the end product machine, is perhaps the best example but there are others.

Ao Tanaka has finally started to make his mark and follow one good performance with another. James Justin is arguably the man of 2026 so far. Gabriel Gudmundsson has been good from the very off but more recently reinforced his Player of the Season credentials with his displays against Manchester United and Wolves.

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Pascal Struijk has arguably never been better than he was at Bournemouth in midweek.

There are also Leeds players who know what this game means to the tens of thousands paying so much money to travel to Wembley and watch the game. They know the impact victory over Chelsea will have on the city.

Ethan Ampadu has rewritten his own individual story after a number of painful relegations as a youngster. His Elland Road performance against Sunday's opponents, his former club no less, showed exactly where his loyalties lie and just how good he can be at this level.

Close pal and fellow Wales international Joe Rodon is another rewriting a narrative having struggled to shine at Spurs in the way he shines for Leeds. Like Ampadu he has become a leader for Farke, a general whose incessant moaning helps keep standards high on the pitch.

There are players with plenty to prove. Struijk did not get the chance to represent the club at Wembley last time out due to injury. Dominic Calvert-Lewin is still in with a chance of making the World Cup and big goals in games as big as this one will only stand him in good stead.

Lucas Perri has been using the FA Cup to resurrect his difficult debut season in English football. Jaka Bijol gave away a daft penalty last time these sides played. The Chelsea squad will also be full of individual motivations and driving factors but as a collective this Leeds team is widely regarded as the underdog.

They can play with the same chip on their shoulder that has fuelled much of this club's energy in recent years. Leeds against the world. On Sunday they don't have to take on the world, just Chelsea.

In Farke there is a manager who is also changing the tune. This season has already shown that he can do so much more in the Premier League with a bit of backing and some quality, than he did with ill-equipped Norwich. The way Leeds have played proves he can be tactically flexible.

Results against Manchester United, Liverpool and indeed Chelsea suggest he can set Leeds up for success against elite squads. The performances in three halves of football against Manchester City say that he can keep games tight and give Leeds a fighting chance.

And in the stands will be a rabid fanbase that has fallen madly in love with this team. It matters little to many supporters if players are 'top blokes' when they deliver results but the return of the Leeds United official podcast has recently shone more of a light on how down to earth some of Farke's squad really are. That goes down well with the rank and file and makes it all the easier to roar them on, on matchdays. Ever since Marcelo Bielsa relit the fire under the club, Leeds crowds have been difficult to match for passion and volume.

They will make all the right noises if and when their players need an extra push at Wembley. Together they were irresistible at Old Trafford and Elland Road was not a pleasant place for Chelsea earlier this season.

So there are plenty of places to look if reasons for optimism are needed. Add to that, this game takes place in the FA Cup, a competition made for magic. It would hardly be one of the great upsets of our time for Leeds to win this game, but an upset it would be.

Upsets happen in the FA Cup all the time. It's a winner-takes-all scenario but one of these sides was never expected to make it here and therefore any pressure felt by Leeds will come simply from their own standards. Their fight is still the Premier League relegation battle.

That is where the must-wins and all of the pressure is to be found. An FA Cup semi-final grants them a freedom in which to go for it. Play like they did against this very opposition at Elland Road. Fight, run and tackle like they have for most of the season.

Put it on Chelsea from the very off and see where it takes them. Football reminds us incessantly that just about anything is possible. So why not?